Graveyard of Heros
by theonewhosawitall
Summary: after the death of one of the doctors most important friends, there is one thing Jack has to do. he has to get her a tombstone on the planet of graves specifically of the doctors friends. the death calls for the annual visit to the planet. it's one of the hardest things that the doctor ever has to do.
1. Rain at a funeral

Raining again. Classic British weather. It rains on happy days and important days and days as miserable as this one. The weather matched the scene and the emotional crowd perfectly. The rain pinged off of the gravestones and into muddy puddles in the middle of the path.

Jack's boot splashed into the puddle and got muddy water up his coat. He didn't care. If there was one thing he never missed, it was the funeral of his friend. Especially if he was one of the only ones left. He made sure he had a bouquet as he made his way to the graveside. He was only just in time.

The smooth black casket was being lowered into the hole as he stood by watching. For the first time in almost fifty years, Jack didn't flirt with anyone. He didn't want to. After the ceremony, he placed the bouquet at the foot of the gravestone and stepped back. Jack tapped the back of the deceased's husband, Shaun Temple.

"I am so, so sorry Shaun. She was a wonderful woman. In fact, she was the most important woman in the universe!" Jack said.

Shaun could only nod. Jack's eyes filled with tears too. Especially because he knew he was the only one left who remembered. Well, the only one here anyway. Jack stayed behind as the others went off. He touched the cold stone face and sighed a goodbye. It was down to him to add her gravestone to the graveyard of heroes.

Except, to most humans, they weren't heroes. They were just normal people. Their bodies weren't even buried there but tombstones were still laid out for them. There were countless rocks dedicated to people who were so different from one another. There was nothing to join them together. Nothing to people not in the know. But these people, these special people on this special planet just on the edge of the universe, are bounded but the most important thing in the universe. These people, are the friends of the doctor. Each and every one. When one of the doctor's friends died, they got a tombstone on this planet. Regardless of where their body actually was. Jack had two. One for his first dead (which made him immortal) and one for his actual death as the face of Boe. There were hundreds of tombstones dotted across the dusty surface of the abandoned planet. Some as old as time itself. Some as new as the one he just ordered. It was painful for Jack to walk through the tombstones. He knew so many there.

_Rose Tyler  
defender of earth_

_Mickey Smith  
the tin dog_

_Martha jones  
saved the world with a story_

_Sarah Jane Smith  
world class journalist_

There was so much pain in a few stone words sometimes. But there were thousands more in thousands of rows all across this planet that the doctor mourned. Jack didn't think he could bare it if he was the doctor. Then he came to the brand new tomb. It was shiny, black, cold and made of marble. The girl who didn't know how extraordinary she was. And the doctor was too late to remind her. Jack saluted. She deserved it.


	2. never forget

**_Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!_**

The TARDIS beeped to get the Doctors attention. He checked the message on the screen. His hearts fell. It was the one message he had been dreading most of all.

"So, is it really that good?! The crowns of Grathen? What makes it so special?" Clara asked from the steps. The Doctor didn't reply. His eyes filled with tears and he had to wipe them away with one hand. "Doctor?" she asked. Something was obviously up. The Doctor sniffed.

"Sorry we're going to have to make a quick stop. There's something I have to do!" he said.

"Oh, ok then! Where are we going?" she asked. The Doctor didn't answer.

The air was still. Just as it was every year. Grey and still like the tombstones below. It hurt more each year. There was always more stones to visit. He decided to take a long walk. He needed time to prepare. He told Clara to wait in the TARDIS. She did as she was told, but sat with the doors open. Clara read the names she could see around her.

_Amelia Pond  
the girl who waited_

_Rory Williams  
the last centurion_

_Captain Jack harness  
the man who could never die_

_The face of Boa  
the last of his kind_

_The stewardess  
perhaps the bravest of them all_

But that was nothing. Five stones against the thousand the Doctor passed. The guilt piled on.

_Jenny  
the Doctor's daughter_

_Sally sparrow  
the girl who didn't blink_

_Luke smith  
the boy genius_

_River Song  
the Doctor's wife_

_Dorium Maldovar  
a great black marketer_

_Clara Oswin Oswald  
the impossible soufflé girl_

_Strax  
a great sontaran warrior_

_Madam Vastra  
a lizard from the dawn of time and a marvellous detective_

_Jenny  
a marvellous detective and _

_Madame de pompadour  
the girl in the fireplace_

After a while the Doctor couldn't bear to look at them. He passed countless more until he got to the latest addition.

"I put it off for so long you know. I always meant to go back. Probably on your death bed. To just remind you of how important you really are. You're not just a temp. Even if you are the best temp in Cheswick. You're the most important woman in the universe. And more than just that. You, Donna, are my upmost best friend. Even if you don't remember me, I will never forget you!" he said. Then he placed a bouquet of forget-me-nots at the foot of her tomb stone. He couldn't help but touch her chiselled name.

"Donna Temple-Nobel. Good thing you didn't do it the other way around! Nobel temple sounds like a tourist attraction!" he chuckled.

Then he stepped back and adjusted his bowtie. He looked to the tombstone beside it.

_Wilfred Mott  
The solider who never killed a man_

The Doctor saluted the old man's grave. He took a deep breath and turned on his heels making his coat tails twirl out behind him. With the weight of the planet on his shoulders, he went back to his TARDIS. He hesitated by the ponds tombstones.

Clara stood up when she saw him. "Doctor!" she said. He didn't say a thing and squeezed past her into the TARDIS. He pulled a few levers to move. Clara followed him around the console room as he moved around to press more buttons.

"Doctor, who's Amelia Pond?"

The Doctor paused. "My friend," he sighed.

"And Rory Williams?"

"Her husband. My friend."

"Are all the others your friends too?"

"Yes."

"And one just died?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Donna noble."

"Will you tell me about her?"

"Why?"

"Because it helps grieve if you talk about the person you lost."

"No. life is for the living. There are something's you can't change."

"Please tell me Doctor!"

The Doctor looked at Clara. She smiled a little. He sighed.

"Donna, wasn't a normal woman…" the Doctor began. He sighed again. Clara ran back and took a seat on the steps. She patted the step beside where she sat. He took a seat beside her. Clara put her chin in her hands and looked at the Doctor patiently.

The doctor's smile grew as he told Clara stories about his adventures with Donna. He obviously enjoyed them a lot. He mentioned her grandfather like he was family. When he talked about Donna, it got him talking about the last time he saw her, and then they talked about Martha and Rose and Jack. Clara liked Jack. It really seemed to cheer The Doctor up when he talked about his old friends. Then he sighed again. A bitter sweet smile after everything. Clara smiled back.

"The crowns of Grathen?" he asked with a smile.

"The crowns of Grathen!" Clara agreed.

The doctor couldn't escape his past. He would never forget anyone he had met. They were seared onto both his hearts for the rest of time. But with all the pain he'd gone through, he still had Clara with him. for now. one day he wouldn't, but today he did. But what's the point in them being happy now if you know they're going to be sad later? The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later.


End file.
